Bethesda Explains Fallout 4 Perks

Fallout 4 developers Bethesda Softworks have cleared up some confusion over the perk system in their upcoming game.

In a post on the company’s website, a graphic entitled “Vault life has its perks” illustrates the way the once-per-level bonuses will work.

The press release that accompanied the announcement also let on a gift for early adopters: “PS – One more thing – we really love the idea of putting the Perk poster on our own wall, and think you will too. So every physical pre-order copy of Fallout 4 will come with one!”

The perks are tied to the player’s underlying SPECIAL skills, selected at the beginning of the game. There are 10 potential perks per stat, and players will be able to select perks up to their SPECIAL levels – so a character with a score of six in Charisma can use Animal Friend, which at lower ranks stops enemies being hostile and at higher stages has them aid you in combat.

Perks gained on the SPECIAL tree aren’t limited to one use each, and plenty of them stack – this should give opportunities for hugely varied or specialised character builds, in keeping with the series’ traditional emphasis on role playing.

Magazines return, but in a different role to that taken in New Vegas. Instead of giving temporary stat bonuses, they now provide perks of their own. Series staple Grognak the Barbarian now adds to the Barbarian perk, adding damage to critical melee hits.